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Strainseiri
Strainséirí The Strainséirí (singular: Strainséir) are nomadic shape-shifters with close ties to their animal counterparts. There are seven known tribes, with legends of others in distant lands or ones that have been wiped out in conflict. Most of these legends are most likely fabrications or based on descriptions of people who magically transformed themselves instead of being born to it. Legend has it that as the Daoine (singular: Daonna) took animals out of the wild, the wild took Daoine back and transformed them into Strainséirí. The first Strainséirí were of the Wolfkin tribe after dogs were taken by the Daoine. Then came the Ratkin once the rodents of the field followed grain into human homes. The Catkin are considered to be the youngest of the Strainséir tribes. An alternate legend--one popular among Strainséirí--is that they are the original people and the Daoine are simply the descendents of those who were punished and cut off from their power. Everywhere in the known world has legends of some form of Strainséirí, though in some places they appear to either be extinct or purely fictional. Domhain Byd has been a haven to the Strainséirí, who thrive in the fractured political climate. If they make enemies in one kingdom, it won't take long to enter another and evade capture. This nomadic lifestyle suits them well. Each tribe keeps a seasonal camp that they return to for bearing children, trade and marriages, but otherwise are frequently on the move. The different tribes have different mating practices, which often limits intermarriage between tribes. Different seasons, scents and behaviors are involved in courtship across tribes. However, such matings do occur. Catkin will occasionally enslave Ratkin females and keep them as concubines. Lone Wolfkin youth may at times marry into other tribes when they're incapable of finding a partner among their own kind. Strainséirí typically live in small family based groups when the entire tribe has not gathered at their seasonal camp. These groups are usually called clans by humans, but the exact name used by the Strainséirí will differ based on their tribe: the Catkin have clowders; the Falconkin have flocks; the Goatkin and Horsekin have herds; Ratkin have mischiefs; Swinekin have sounders; and Wolfkin have packs. Magic The ability to change shape is always inherited from the mother. Only a mother carrying Strainséir blood can birth a Strainséir child. As this is magic, the blood never dilutes. Captive Horsekin females have only mated with human men for hundreds of years and their bloodline remains as strong as ever. All Strainséirí possess the ability to shape-shift between a human and animal form. If they lack this ability, they simply aren't considered to be Strainséirí. Additionally, some Strainséirí learn to take on a third form, which is halfway between human and animal. Some tribes also have certain magics related to their animal counterparts that they can learn. Religion Though some Strainséirí might choose to adopt the local religion practiced by humans in their region, they have their own practices as well. The Strainséirí religion focuses on ancestor worship and reverence for their animal counterparts, as well as a belief in Ealaíontóir, the creator of the world. Strainséirí believe that Ealaíontóir is a god that can take on any form--man, woman, field mouse, whale--and decided to create the world and the Strainséirí in it to ease the creator's loneliness. Because they are not gods, the Strainséirí are limited in how much they can change their forms. Because humans have duller senses than the Strainséirí, it's believed that they are descended from a tribe that forgot how to listen and smell the world, and then as their ignorance grew they forgot how to change form. Humans are seen as unclean by the Strainséirí, who must bathe after touching humans before they can be ritually pure again. An exception to this view of humans is any member of the Daughters of Ealaíontóir. These are women who have been born to human women with a Strainséir father, conceived under ritual circumstances and raised to be Druids for their clans. They are respected and believed to possess a small part of Ealaíontóir, which sacrificed its ability to change form for the sake of channeling magic. The Daughters are capable of healing wounds, speaking to animals, encouraging the growth of plants, and recognizing lies. Typically, a Daughter will take part in several ritual matings in order to produce her own acolytes. If she is barren, only has sons, or her daughters die, the clan will seek a new Daughter during the seasonal gathering of the tribe. Children born to human mothers and Strainséir fathers outside of this ritualized context are simply seen as human children. Tribes *Ratkin tribe *Wolfkin tribe *Catkin tribe *Swinekin tribe *Goatkin tribe *Horsekin tribe *Falconkin tribe *Beastkin (legendary) *Dragonkin (legendary)